by Jeff Sikkenga
In his letter to the Philippians the Apostle Paul concludes his teaching to faithful students and friends with these well-known words:
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
We usually take this verse as a beautiful, soul-stirring exhortation, but it is also a warning to those of us today in higher education. We must never forget that the word “school” is derived from the Greek word schole,which means leisure. Properly understood, school is not work; school is leisure. And leisure is something we cannot afford to lose.
The great thinker Aristotle—who has been an important source for Christian theologians from Thomas Aquinas to C.S. Lewis—says that life is divided into three kinds of activity: work, recreation, and leisure. Work he describes as serious but unpleasant. Recreation, in contrast, is pleasant but unserious. We modern Americans know all about work and recreation. If our culture has a motto, it is “work hard, play hard.”
A life devoted only to work and recreation, however, ignores a whole aspect of how you should use your time. The older you get the more you realize that time is one of the most precious gifts from God. It is our only non-renewable resource; we can spend it, but we can never make more. And spending it by ignoring leisure is not wise stewardship of the time God has given us.
We should be clear: leisure, as Aristotle understands it, does not mean taking it easy. Leisure means doing something both serious and pleasant. According to Aristotle, the core of leisure is experiencing things that are beautiful—those things that are the only enduring and truly serious and pleasant objects for our contemplation. Aristotle’s Greek word for beauty—Kalon—encompasses all of the aspects of beauty: physical, moral and intellectual. This is the kind of beauty that King David discusses in the Psalms: “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple” (Psalm 27:4).
The Apostle Paul tells us that we find such experience in beauty in meditating on what is true, and noble, and just. In other words: we find noble beauty in pursuing wisdom. As Solomon says, his father David told him to: “Get wisdom! Get understanding! . . . Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:5-7).
Wisdom requires, as Solomon says, that you “apply your heart to understanding” (Proverbs 2:2). You will always have experiences happening to you; the question is what you will draw from them. Wisdom requires that you meditate on your experiences. College is supposed to teach you how to meditate on life; in fact, it is supposed to show you what in life is worth meditating on, educating you in the pursuit of life’s most important questions, which all of us have to answer someday: For whom should I vote? Who should be my friends? What kind of person should I marry? What do I owe to God? What is the right way of life? Why? We all must meditate on these questions.
If you are not having the experience in college of meditating on the great questions of life, you are missing an opportunity that may never come again. Unfortunately, today’s university too often permits students to think of their education as fundamentally a means to a degree, and their degree as a means to a job. We talk as though education is just a means to work. I understand why people have this view; college is expensive. But they are wrong. Education is the means to leisure.
The higher part of “higher education” is where our mind should be lifted from the everyday to the forever so that we can go back down to the everyday and live wisely. This kind of education should happen in the classroom, discussing great books; in the labs, observing the natural world; in the studios, analyzing and creating works of art; in long conversations about all those things, late into the night, with those who—in attempting to understand along with you—have become your friends. That is leisure; that is the true university.
When we understand this, we will be closer to realizing the Apostle Paul’s hope for his students and friends, the Philippians:
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you . . . being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it . . . that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense until the day of the Lord, being filled with the fruits of righteousness,” and having “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 1:6; 1:10; 4:7).
WOW!..just what i needed to read tonight (found in the monthly urbana emails...:) before ending this year off in school. praise the Lord for the journey i had this yr...for the struggles and joys i've experienced...for teaching me new lessons..for allowing me to gradually understand the true meaning of life and to fully grasp the beauty of time.
so today, as i was studying for my last exam... I decided to read Colossians....i realized that there's always something new that we discover. it was so exciting to be reminded of this verse:
"whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..." Colossians 3:23
and when i read this.. :) wow. it was beautiful. ties together with what someone shared in Ecclesiastes............SO exciting...to find joy in the Lord through our studies. what a beautiful day it was..of rest and peace.
so finally going back to toronto tomorrrrow :) ...and yes indeed, it is going to be a very merry chrismas!!!!!!! yummy delcious home cooked meals ...family & friends, baptism, and ONE THING..... oh the anticipation of 2008. lots of prayers, resting and reflections to do for the next few days..but i am exciteddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and the journey continues..
:)
posted by lois @ 1:12 AM
